Over the course of her lifetime, 1 woman in 9 will fight a personal battle against breast cancer. Who is this woman who had the odds stacked against her? Somebody’s mother. Somebody’s wife. Somebody’s sister. Somebody’s daughter. Somebody’s friend. Odds are, she’ll be somebody you know. In fact, you have a 100% chance of having breast cancer affect your life at some point, either personally or through a loved one.

Breast cancer need not be devastating. Early detection can mean the difference between life and a tragic death. The survival rate for patients treated for early-stage breast cancer is 97%. Yet, fewer than 1/3 of American women follow the recommended guidelines for self-examination and regular mammography. Why not? Many are uninsured, uninformed or unaware. More than 40,000 lives could be saved each year if only there were more clinical care, community and financial support services and advocacy training in place to ensure that all women receive the early diagnosis and ongoing attention so critical to survival.

Some people will go to great lengths to make a point. We’re drawing the line at 60 miles.

What will it take to ensure the proper health care needed to give women a fighting chance against breast cancer? It all boils down to one thing: Money. Money for programs. Money for research. Money for survival.

The technology already exists to save lives. All that’s needed is a means of educating women to take advantage of it and providing low or no cost services to those who can’t otherwise afford them. And that takes… you guessed it: Money.

Most people would dig into their pockets to provide funds for programs that could one day save the life of a loved one. Unfortunately, with the stress of day-to-day living, they usually wouldn’t think of doing so unless someone came along and made a bold statement that got their attention.

May we have your attention please?
Team EA is comprised of 10 diverse health conscious women who one day, while discussing the virtues of diet and exercise, realized that there were bigger fish to fry than fretting over whether or not to indulge in fried fish. It started with a brief mention; an “I was thinking of walking 60 miles to help women survive breast cancer. That’s nuts, isn’t it?” Before we knew it 10 of us were registered to do just that.

The Avon 3•Day New York
On October 11th 2002 we will be meeting in New York and setting out on a three day adventure, walking 60 miles with 7,990 other insane, yet determined, men and women to make a point: women must be given a chance to combat the scourge of breast cancer. No matter who they are. No matter how much money they have or don’t have.

For many of us that means traveling far from home (we are scattered all over the US) just to reach the starting line. For all of us it means putting ourselves through months of intense physical training. Why do it? Because we all suddenly realized that there was something far more important than fitting into the jeans we wore in high school and that’s saving the life of the woman you know who will wake up one morning and learn that she has breast cancer.

What can you do to help?

We need your moral support. Drop us a line. Sign our guest book. Check in on us as we train. Cheer us on.

We also need your financial support. We have committed to raising a staggering $15,200 between us. Each dollar we bring in will bring us closer to our monetary goal. More importantly it will bring us closer to our ultimate goal: saving precious lives.

Please give as generously as you can. Visit the donate page for instructions on how to make your donation conveniently. Feel free to contact any one of the team members with any questions you might have. An email directory is provided on the links page.

Update: September 2002

Team EA is pleased to announce the addition of a new member to the team. As soon as we met Ellen, who had originally registered to do this event solo, we knew she was one of us. Please join us in welcoming her.